Blackadder II is the second series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 9 January 1986 to 20 February 1986. The series is set in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603), and sees the principal character, Edmund, Lord Blackadder, as a Tudor courtier attempting to win the favour of the Queen while avoiding execution by decapitation, a fate that befell many of her suitors.

The series is the successor to The Black Adder, and differed significantly from its predecessor, notably with Ben Elton replacing Rowan Atkinson as the second writer, filming in studio sets, rather than on location, the introduction of a Machiavellian Blackadder and a less intelligent Baldrick.

A third series, Blackadder the Third, aired in 1987.

Plot

The series is set during the Elizabethan era (1558–1603). The principal character, Edmund, Lord Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson), is the great-grandson of the original Black Adder and is now a member of the London aristocracy. Unlike his forefather, he is both dashing and intelligent, although he is still scheming and cynical in his outlook. The series follows his attempts to win the favour of the childish Queen Elizabeth I (Miranda Richardson). As before, he is aided, and often hindered, by two less-than-intelligent sidekicks, his servant Baldrick (Tony Robinson), and Lord Percy Percy (Tim McInnerny), heir to the Duchy of Northumberland, with whom Blackadder has a grudging friendship.

Throughout the series, Blackadder's chief rival is Lord Melchett (Stephen Fry), the Queen's pretentious and grovelling Lord Chamberlain. Melchett fears upsetting the Queen, and thus attempts to outdo Blackadder by supporting the Queen in whatever current fad she is interested in. Comic relief in the Court is provided by the Queen's demented former nanny, Nursie (Patsy Byrne) who often reveals embarrassing stories about Queenie's past.

The series finale episode, "Chains" sees Blackadder and Melchett being kidnapped by two guards working for Prince Ludwig the Indestructible (Hugh Laurie) who holds them prisoner in a dungeon, Ludwig demanding a ransom be paid in exchange for having one of them released but after receiving a message informing them Queenie has decided to ignore saving them in favour of holding a big party, which later becomes a costume party, the two men, whose original death sentences are later changed to life imprisonment, work together to successfully outwit Ludwig's guards and return to England, arriving at the palace in time to stop Ludwig from killing Queenie and fulfilling his goal of becoming King of England, which was revealed to have been brought on the fact that as a child, he had dirty hair, spots and was forced to wear shorts by his mother, earning him ridicule from his classmates who also gave him the nickname, "Shorty Greasy Spot-Spot" which Ludwig despises so much so that he flies into a rage if it is mentioned in his presence. Upon being exposed, Ludwig attempts to flee while vowing he will return and get his revenge, but is presumably killed or wounded off-screen by a dagger that Blackadder throws at him, ending his threat. However, after the end credits have been shown, Ludwig is revealed to have survived the attack, returning to murder the original Queenie and after stealing her identity, also gone on to kill Blackadder, Melchett, Nursie, Baldrick and Percy, Ludwig presumably going on to rule England for many years, disguised as Queenie.

Baldrick, who in the first series was the most intelligent of the main trio, became more stupid, an idea proposed by Ben Elton to make him "the stupidest person in the history of...human beings", and to act as a foil to Blackadder's new-found intelligence. The series was also the originator of Baldrick's obsession with the turnip, although this apparently arose from a botanical error on the part of Elton, who confused the vegetable with the "amusingly shaped" parsnip. The first episode "Bells", follows a similar plot to Twelfth Night.

Episodes

The series aired for six episodes broadcast on Thursdays on BBC1 at 9.30pm between 9 January 1986 and 20 February 1986.

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|ShortSummary=Blackadder gains a new young servant, Bob, and somehow falls for him. When he discovers that Bob is a girl named Kate, he wishes to marry her, much to Queenie's confusion.

Guest appearances by Rik Mayall as Lord Flashheart and Gabrielle Glaister as Bob.

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Production

Development

Due to the high cost of the first series, Michael Grade (the then-controller of programming of BBC1) was reluctant to sign off a second series without major improvements and cost-cutting, leaving a gap of three years between the two series. The scripts were also tightened up during principal rehearsals with the actors; according to Richard Curtis, an entire script for a murder mystery-style episode was dropped because the writers felt it did not work. Studio recordings shot in front of a live audience began on Sunday 9 June 1985 with the recording of "Head". Subsequent episodes were filmed on a weekly basis in the sequence "Bells", "Potato", "Money", "Beer" and "Chains".

The closing titles use a different arrangement of the theme, sung by countertenor Jeremy Jackman, with lyrics (usually insulting Blackadder) that reflect the events of the preceding episode. The song is played over a shot of Blackadder strolling through a formal garden and being annoyed by the lute-wielding minstrel (Tony Aitken). This sequence was incorporated as a separate subplot, with Blackadder constantly attempting to apprehend the musician each time with limited success. At the end of the final episode, Blackadder catches the minstrel and repeatedly dunks him in a fountain.

Releases

The complete series of Blackadder II is available as a Region 2 DVD from BBC Worldwide, as well as in a complete box set with the other series, most recently as a remastered edition including a commentary on selected episodes. An earlier VHS release of the series was also produced in 1996. The series is also available in Region 1 DVD in a box set of the complete series. In addition, an audio recording taken from the television episodes is available on cassette and compact disc.

VHS releases

  • In about October 1989, BBC Enterprises Ltd released all six episodes of Blackadder II on two single videos; they were re-released on 7 September 1992 in 'Complete', a double-VHS box set. All six episodes were re-released on a single video on 2 October 1995.

{|class="wikitable" width=99%

!VHS video title

!Year of release/BBFC rating

!Episodes

|-

| align="center"|Blackadder II- Parte the Firste (BBCV 4298)

| align="center"|2 October 1989 (PG)

| align="center"|"Bells", "Head", "Potato"

|-

| align="center"|Blackadder II- Parte the Seconde (BBCV 4299)

| align="center"|2 October 1989 (15)

| align="center"|"Money", "Beer", "Chains"

|-

| align="center"|The Complete Blackadder II (Double Pack) (BBCV 4785)

| align="center"|7 September 1992 (15)

| align="center"|TAPE 1: "Bells", "Head", "Potato"<br>TAPE 2: "Money", "Beer", "Chains"

|-

| align="center"|Blackadder II- The Entire Historic Second Series (BBCV 5712)

| align="center"|2 October 1995 (15)

| align="center"|same as 'The Complete Blackadder II' but with all six episodes on a single video: "Bells", "Head", "Potato", "Money", "Beer", "Chains"

|}

DVD releases

{| class="wikitable" width="90%"

|-

!DVD title !! DVD Content !! Region 1 !! Region 2 !! Region 4

|-

|Blackadder II||Complete second series, no extras.||align="center"|26 June 2001 ||align="center" nowrap|22 October 2001 || align="center" nowrap|28 February 2002

|-

| The Complete Blackadder || All four series, no extras.|| || align="center" nowrap|12 November 2001 || align="center" nowrap|3 October 2002

|-

| Blackadder – The Complete Collection || All four series and specials, no extras.|| align="center" nowrap|26 June 2001 || align="center" nowrap|3 October 2005 ||

|-

| Blackadder Remastered – The Ultimate Edition || All four series and specials remastered, plus Blackadder Rides Again documentary, audio commentaries on selected episodes and interviews with cast.|| align="center" nowrap|20 October 2009 ||align="center" nowrap|15 June 2009 || align="center" nowrap|1 October 2009

|}

LaserDisc release

Blackadder II was released on a double LaserDisc set by Encore Entertainment in 1996, the episodes spread over three of the four sides.

References

Notes

Citations

  • Blackadder II at the former BBC Guide to Comedy (archive)